Will Judge Makes 4th District Bid

Chief Will County Circuit Court Judge Charles Connor Tuesday became the latest Republican to express interest in the congressional seat being vacated by retiring Rep. George O`Brien (R., Ill.).

Connor, 57, a Joliet native, said he will resign from the bench effective at midnight Wednesday to pursue the nomination for the 4th Congressional District, which includes southern Cook, Will and parts of Kane and Kendall Counties.

O`Brien, 68, of Joliet, a seven-term incumbent, announced three weeks ago that he will not seek re-election because of poor health.

Three other Republicans, State Rep. Jack Davis of New Lenox, State Sen. Aldo DeAngelis of Olympia Fields and former U.S. Rep. Edward Derwinski of Flossmoor, have been the most prominently mentioned to fill his vacancy on the ballot.

Republican township and precinct committeemen will choose the candidate July 12 with a weighted vote, in which each official gets to cast a vote that is equal to the number of voters that took Republican ballots in the last primary election.

O`Brien`s retirement has resulted in pressure from Democratic leaders on the Democratic nominee, Shawn Collins, 28, of Joliet, to step aside for a better known candidate, State Sen. George Sangmeister (D., Mokena), but Collins has vowed to remain on the ballot.

In an interview, Connor acknowledged that Davis is the leading candidate in Will County, where he is also the Republican county chairman. ``But I think I can garner enough support in the other three counties to offset what his lead is in Will County,`` Connor said. He added that he has no commitments from other party leaders.

He said he is running, in part, because the party under Davis in Will County ``is a little closed. I think it`s run in an arbitrary manner. I would like to see it opened up a bit.``

Connor described himself as conservative and said he supports most of President Reagan`s programs but expressed concern about the national debt.

``It`s almost a form of child abuse to leave your grandchildren a $1 trillion debt,`` he said.

A graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, Connor was appointed to the bench as a magistrate (now called associate judge) in 1965. He was elected to the circuit court in 1976. The other judges in the circuit chose him as chief judge in 1982.

Connor and his wife, Alice, have five children. Alice Connor owns and runs the Broadway Nursing Home in Joliet.

William Phelan, president of the Will County Bar Association, said that Connor has been a ``maverick`` among Republicans and will face an ``uphill battle``.